Congress remains silent on ‘talks’ with LDF ally Kerala Congress (M)

The Congress appeared to support an enigmatic presumption connected Tuesday (January 13, 2026) connected whether it had opened talks with the Kerala Congress (M), a Left Democratic Front (LDF) ally, astir a imaginable defection to the Opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) successful the important Assembly predetermination twelvemonth successful Kerala.

When asked by reporters successful Thiruvananthapuram arsenic to whether Congress person Sonia Gandhi had extended an olive subdivision to KC(M) chairperson Jose K. Mani, MP, an erstwhile state who near the UDF to articulation the LDF successful October 2020, Kerala’s Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan said: “The UDF is poised to grow its basal stunningly. You volition cognize successful a fewer days.” 

Recently, Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) State wide caput P.M.A. Salam had welcomed the KC(M) to the UDF.

Jose K. Mani’s lack successful LDF meets

Mr. Mani’s conspicuous lack from back-to-back LDF meetings had sparked speculations past week. The UDF added grist to the governmental speculation by interpreting Mr. Mani’s lack astatine the Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF’s sit-in protestation against the Centre arsenic a motion of estrangement. Notably, Mr. Mani’s soundlessness connected the substance provided fodder to the rumour mill.

Roshy Augustine’s response

However, KC(M) person and Water Resources Minister Roshy Augustine sought to douse the raging media discussions by penning connected Facebook that “the LDF volition travel backmost to power” successful 2026. He besides stated that Mr. Mani could not be the protestation owed to “personal reasons” and noted that the KC(M) chairperson had deputed 3 enactment legislators, including N. Jayaraj and Pramod Narayan, to articulation the Chief Minister. 

Speaking to reporters successful Thiruvananthapuram later, Mr. Augustine said helium was “not aware” whether Ms. Gandhi had invited Mr. Mani to rejoin the UDF. He besides denied that the Catholic Church successful Kerala had urged the KC(M) to extremity its five-year confederation with the LDF and “return home” to the UDF, fixed the clergy’s disapproval that the Left authorities had falsely claimed that it had implemented astir of the recommendations of the Justice J.B. Koshy Commission, which examined social, financial, and acquisition backwardness among Christians. 

“The Church remains supra temporal politics. Moreover, the Chief Minister had reported that 17 departments had taken enactment connected 220 recommendations,” helium added. 

No crushed to discontinue LDF: Devasia

KC(M) elder person K.J. Devasia told reporters that the enactment had “no crushed to discontinue the LDF.” He said the authorities had delivered connected its promises to the settler-farmer community, including lifting restrictions connected the usage of assigned onshore and enacting a instrumentality to mitigate human-wildlife conflict.

“Neither Ms. Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, nor Rahul Gandhi lifted a digit erstwhile the Congress arbitrarily threw the KC(M) retired of the UDF successful 2020. They are not invited now,” helium added. 

CPI(M) stance

A Communist Party of India (Marxist) insider dismissed the contention arsenic 1 “created by anti-LDF media outlets” to supply the Congress “a little respite from the scandals dogging the party.”

He said the UDF was successful “a decease spiral” and that “more constituents volition godforsaken the sinking ship.”